Showdown Begins with Davenport Casino and Developer

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

Please enable Javascript to watch this video

Davenport city leaders meet for the first time in public with the Kehl Development Corporation Wednesday.

Mayor Bill Gluba originally wanted local developer Rodney Blackwell of the Davenport Casino Group to develop the new casino. But the Riverboat Development Authority did not go along.

As previously reported, the RDA chose CEO Dan Kehl of the Kehl Development Corporation to do the project. The RDA is the group tasked with giving the casino a gaming license.

Kehl wants to buy the Rhythm City Casino from the Isle of Capri Corporation and build a new $110 million facility, 1,000 slot machines, and 95 hotel rooms. Kehl wants the new casino to go somewhere along I-80, but he has hinted at trying to build it at Brady Street.

City leaders have met in private with Kehl, but this is the first City Council Work Session where the two sides will meet. That meeting starts at 4:30 p.m. at Davenport's City Hall.

A city council meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. City leaders could approve increasing sewer rates on residents by $8.00 a year.